April 25th, 2002 issue #0112

When Ann Suddarth adopted her dog Zoe from the SPCA last summer, she had no idea the trial she was in for. “She’s the most difficult dog I’ve ever had,” Suddarth says of the 50-pound mixed breed who’s now 18 months old. “Since she’d been at the SPCA for a long time before I brought her home,” Suddarth explains, “she suffered from terrible separation anxiety.”

I’ll admit it: when the city passed a leash law, I was as frustrated as all the other dog owners who’d enjoyed regular off-leash walks or runs down the Rivanna Greenbelt. Taking a well-behaved but hydrophilic Labrador Retriever for a leashed walk along a beautiful body of water seems crueler than just leaving her at home to play in the yard. Since I work full time and have a two-year-old who goes to bed by 7:30pm, I haven’t gone back to Riverview since the leash law took effect. Just call me one of the leash law casualties.

The idea struck Melba Atkinson in 1998, when it came time to euthanize her 15-year-old Yellow Lab, Daisy. “It was our second pet to die in a year, and we had three more that were coming along,” Atkinson remembers. Struggling with the losses of her beloved companions, Atkinson decided to found the Charlottesville Pet Loss Support Group, and now, four years later, the group continues to meet twice a month, on the first and third Monday from 7 to 8:30pm in the Real Estate III building on 29N across from Wal-Mart.

The issue was almost too hot for local authorities to handle, pitting neighbor against neighbor and drawing throngs of angry citizens to City Council meetings. What had people so fired up? Taxes? Pollution of our drinking water? Cuts in education?Nope. The issue was dogs— specifically, whether man’s best friend should be leashed while in city parks. Adding to the chaos at the meetings were the dogs themselves, brought by some owners who wanted to display their animals’ superior training.

PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO
The issue was almost too hot for local authorities to handle, pitting neighbor against neighbor and drawing throngs of angry citizens to City Council meetings. What had people so fired up? Taxes? Pollution of our drinking water? Cuts in education?
Nope.

Local dogs have never had it so good when it comes to dining. Sammy Snacks, a natural pet food and biscuit company run by Pamela Peterson since 1999, operates right here in town in a six-month-old retail spot on Carleton Road, though the products are also available in nearly 20 locations up and down the East Coast. Best of all, Sammy Snacks’ treats, which have gourmet names such as Garlic Cheese, CranOat, Carob Chip, and Virginia Barbeque, can be eaten by puppies, adult dogs and… people!